Growing Potted Citrus Trees in the Home and Garden
A rewarding plant for indoors and out
When I was in high school, my mom and I went plant shopping and came across several lemon trees at the garden center. Living in Wisconsin, the idea of growing citrus trees seemed far-fetched, but seeing them in the nursery inspired me to take on the unique challenge of growing lemons in a container. Of course, it took some trial and error to understand the best way to care for that lemon tree, and I'm still learning today.
Why grow potted citrus?
Many of us know the satisfaction of growing our food, and producing your own citrus fruits brings that same good feeling, especially if you live in a cold climate. And it’s not just lemons. You can grow oranges, limes, kumquats, tangerines and hybrids of these fruit.
While the fruit is the main highlight, the highly fragrant blooms add another dimension to these beautiful plants. They're a great addition to patios, balconies and other outdoor areas in the summer. And during the winter, they add a touch of warmth inside our homes.
Citrus trees to grow in pots at home
While shopping for citrus plants, you'll find certain kinds are more commonly used in containers. The Meyer lemon (Citrus x meyeri) is a good example. This cross between a lemon and a mandarin bears fruit that are smaller than normal lemons and have a slight sweetness in the same comparison. Besides producing lots of fruit, the tree also flowers intermittently throughout the year, even in winter. From a growing standpoint, Meyer lemons can seem finicky, as they tend to drop leaves after being moved indoors for the winter. But the ample fruit and flowers make up for that.
Perhaps the most common citrus species used in containers is the calamondin orange (Citrofortunella mitis). While not your typical orange (it's a hybrid between a mandarin and a kumquat), it has gorgeous, fragrant blooms and small orange fruit. It's often grown as an ornamental plant, and the sour fruits can be used for marmalade or added to beverages. In my experience, which matches what I’ve heard from other gardeners, calamondin is one of the easiest citrus to grow in containers.
Tangerines (Citrus reticulata) and kumquat (Fortunella) are also popular container choices. For a true lemon, 'Ponderosa' is a popular variety. It produces huge fruit with a lemony flavor that includes a subtle sweetness.
Potted citrus trees inside and outside
Citrus can be grown indoors year-round, but it takes more work to maintain a healthy, full plant that yields fruit under those conditions. Therefore most gardeners take their trees outside in summer when night temperatures routinely stay above 50°F (50° is ideal, but a few nights in the 40s won't hurt them). The trees stay in a sunny spot until temperatures begin falling in late summer.
Acclamation is a big deal with citrus, because they can be prone to losing leaves when the light levels change. Gradually introducing your trees to full sun is the best practice when they move outdoors in summer. Over the course of a couple of weeks, shift them from an outside spot in bright shade, then a few hours of sun, then a final position in all-day sun. In late summer, you can reverse this process, slowly giving them more shade to smooth the transition to the dimmer light inside the home. The tree may still lose a few leaves, but the gradual change in light does help.
With citrus, the light requirements are straightforward: The more light, the better. This can be challenging in the winter, so gardeners often use grow lights to supplement the natural light from windows. However, a south-facing window can provide enough light to keep a tree relatively healthy during the cold times of the year. Once outside, the trees can perform in part sun, but at least six hours of direct sunlight is best.
Soil and water for potted citrus
Citrus like well-draining, acidic soil. In containers, a peat-based potting mix provides acidity. Adding perlite or vermiculite improves the drainage. The exact amounts of each ingredient vary, but some gardeners combine equal parts of sterile potting soil, peat and perlite or vermiculite. Another popular mix is the 5-1-1, which consists of 5 parts fine bark (half-inch pieces or smaller), 1 part perlite and 1 part potting soil.
Such homemade blends have proven excellent for containerized citrus plants, but if you're looking for less work, try two-parts storebought potting mix plus one-part perlite. This is the easiest route that still creates good conditions.
Like many plants, citrus should be watered when the top inch or two of soil begins feeling dry to the touch. Make sure the pots have drainage holes.
An all-purpose or citrus fertilizer can be used when the plant is actively growing in spring and summer; follow the label’s directions. It’s best to hold off on extra nutrients during the colder months.
Citrus tree pests
When it comes to citrus pests, prevention is key. Always inspect plants before you buy them (unless you’re buying online). That was a hard lesson I learned years ago after buying my first ‘Meyer Lemon’—it turned out to be full of scale insects that took a whole summer to remove.
As you’re growing citrus, remain on the lookout for troublesome insects, especially scale, spider mites and whitefly. These are often found on the underside of the leaves or among the new growth and flowers. During the summer, the garden’s beneficial insects can help control the problem, and outdoors there’s the always option of spraying pests off with a hearty blast from the hose.
Winter pests can be more of a challenge. If insects appear, you’ll need to treat the plants, but be sure to know what pest you're dealing with first. Spider mites and whitefly can be controlled with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap sprays, applied outdoors on a mild day. Rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs can be effective at manually removing scale insects.
Persistent, consistent care and attention remain the best defense against pests. Healthy trees can better tolerate the onset of insects, and catching any problem early offers the best chance for control.
Where to buy potted citrus trees
A few online nurseries specialize in citrus, making them a great choice if you're comfortable having plants shipped to you. Check out Logee’s, Stark Bro.’s, Four Winds Growers, Madison Citrus Nursery and Fast Growing Trees.
You might also look locally for potted citrus trees. In recent years, more garden centers and greenhouses have begun carrying a wide range of citrus, giving gardeners better chances to find these plants locally. Whether you're looking for a small tree or a large patio specimen, nurseries have many sizes to offer. A local greenhouse with a good selection of potted citrus can also become a source of advice and assistance should pests or other growing problems arise.
